The present disclosure relates to methods for inducing changes in plant root morphology. For example, certain methods are directed to increasing the development of lateral root growth while decreasing the development of primary roots.
Natural protein channels function in many organisms to facilitate the transport of ions across cellular boundaries. Channels are known to play critical roles in bacteria, in fungi, in mammalian cells, and in plants. The cells of each of these organisms are bounded by a barrier membrane or cell wall but the nature of these boundary layers can be dramatically different. Even in simple organisms such as bacteria, the boundary layers of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria are very different and a further variation occurs in Mycobacteria. The difference between the boundary layers of mammals and plants is even more dramatic.
A similarity among all of these cell types is the need for various molecular and ionic species to pass through the membranes so that ionic balance can be maintained, so that nutrients can enter, and so waste products can exit. Plants in particular have a cell wall that creates challenges in terms of penetration. Natural protein channels typically mediate this process.
Hydraphiles are synthetic amphiphiles that emulate channel function in bacteria. At certain concentrations, they are toxic to bacteria, by a mechanism that disrupts ion homeostasis. Recently, it was shown that hydraphiles enhance the efficacy of antibiotic function against bacteria when co-administered with appropriate pharmaceuticals.
It has been reported that benzo-15-crown-5 transports K+ ions in wheat roots at low concentrations (Huang, D., Wang, D., Fu. T., Que, R., Zhang, J., Huang, L., Zhang, Z.; Journal of Nanjing University of Natural Science 1980, 2, 33-44). In other work, it was found that benzo-18-crown-6 reduced potassium efflux, transport, and uptake in onion root segments as reported in Macklon, A. E. S., Sim, A., Parsons, D. G., Truter, M. R., Wingield, J. N.; Effects of some Cyclic ‘Crown’ Polyethers on Potassium Uptake, Efflux and Transport in Excised Root Segments and Whole Seedlings. Annals of Botany 1983, 52(3), 345-356.